Feb 24, 2014

If
you want to attract the best buyers for your home, you need to make
sure that you give the best impression possible to the people who view
your property.

When a buyer decides that they want to see the inside of your home it
probably means that they are satisfied with the area, the ballpark
figure quoted by your estate agent, and the size of the property. They
are viewing your home so that they can see if they can imagine
themselves living there.
Creatively staging your home helps buyers to visualize themselves
settling in and building a life in the property. To give them the best
chance to do this you will probably need to pack away some of your more
personal belongings – the items that are your unique stamp on the place.

Packing Away Your Belongings
If you have been living in your home for a long time, you have probably
accumulated a lot of possessions. Some things can be thrown away or
given to charity, and you should start doing that as soon as you're
getting ready to move. However, there will be a lot of things that you
want to take with you. Boxing those items up and putting them into
storage before you show your home to buyers will make your move easier
once the property does sell, and will help you impress potential buyers
too.

Make Your Home Theirs
Your treasured possessions have a lot of meaning to you, but are not
likely to appeal to your buyers. The holiday souvenirs on the
mantelpiece are a reminder of your adventures, and send the message
"this is my living room". The giant grandfather clock that cuts an
imposing figure in the living room hardly makes it look like a fun place
for kids to play, and the exercise equipment in the garage will make
your viewers wonder if they can fit their car in there.

Even seemingly innocuous items such as framed diplomas or wedding
photographs give away information about who you are, and that
information may taint the buyer's view of the property. It may also be
advisable to hide away any objects that give details about your identity
or schedule, purely for the sake of privacy and security.

Make Your Home Neutral, But Welcoming

Staging a home does not involve putting every item into storage and
making it look like a hotel room. You want to make your home look
neutral, but lived in. Tidy up your closets so that they appear clean
and organised. Pack up some of your family photographs and any large,
unusual looking ornaments. Turn your study into a simple, uncluttered
computer room, rather than an area dominated by your chosen hobby. Your
objective is to make sure that nothing in your home could possible cause
offence, or drive away a prospective buyer.

Packing up your possessions and putting them away also helps you
mentally prepare yourself for moving out of your home. It's easier to
let go if you've already prepared yourself for the fact that you're
leaving. These belongings will also be easier to transport and unpack
when the time comes to put your stamp on a brand new home.
This article was written by Rebecca Fox on behalf of www.binghamselfstorage.co.uk.
Bingham Self Storage offers a variety of storage options for commercial
and domestic customers. Located just outside of Nottingham, this family
run company provides easily accessed secure storage spaces.
The service is great for anyone looking to move home, store for a business or simply declutter.

Angela
is planning a major home redesign next month, in time for spring and,
hopefully, to usher in the warmer weather with a fresher, more visually
appealing ambiance. Her main dilemma, however, has always been trying to
come up with an interior space those appeals to all members of her
family. With her husband, two daughters, and a son, Angela needed to
plan a home update that is very unisex and relatable to both male and
female persuasions.This
early, Angela has already discussed plans and preferences with her
husband and their kids, trying to collate their various tastes and
styles. Combining and complementing the different textures and styles is
a major part of her task ahead, but Angela has also made use of
different resources that help her to conceptualize a and neutral home
design effort.

Colors

The
main idea behind Angela’s home update planning will be the color
combinations. She is pairing up traditionally masculine colors, such as
dark green, brown, and grey, with shades of pastel and a splattering of
patterns and textures that play down the main color while accommodating
the infusion of variety. Meanwhile, she is also considering utilizing
the more feminine colors such as purple, pink, and yellow side-by-side
with solid wood and brass fixtures, contrasting the elements for an
interesting visual impact.

His and Her’s spaces

Men and women enjoy many of the same things, so Angela is designing interior nooks and spaces that appeal to both,
such as reading corners by the windows (featuring leather and satin
furniture), coffee tables and board game tables (mixing wood and metal
elements), and a home entertainment centre that has both the modern
large screen TVs and speakers, as well as scented candle sets, and
colourful couch pillows and throws.

Feb 7, 2014

For many home
owners it is for a better view however there are more important reasons
such as curb appeal and image. When your home is maintained, it says a
lot to a potential Buyer

How important is it to get your home ready for sale?

Very! You have only one chance to make
a great first impression. To achieve this, think in terms of a home
that is well taken care of, sparkling clean, uncluttered and spacious. “It doesn’t matter if your home is
absolutely iBesides the obvious factor of keeping
your home beautiful, did you know that one of the most important reasons
for cleaning your windows is to protect it against glass degradation?

Over time glass can become permeated
with hard minerals from sprinkler systems, water run-off, and acid rain.
Glass left un-maintained over long periods of time can result in
permanent damage through corrosion.

A home that is well maintained adds
value to a potential buyer. Therefore if you hope to get the most money
for your investment, it is imperative that you keep your home well
maintained both inside and out, and that includes windows!

"How you do one thing is how you do
everything"; you will often hear me say that and clean windows are
definitely an important 'thing". If you live in the Okanagan and would
like more information on window cleaning, contact my friend and business
colleague, Ash Burnell at Sun Valley Windows cleaners.

Feb 6, 2014

Are you a compulsive collector who has too much stuff because you cannot bear to put worthless things
in the garbage or throw anything away that is broken? Do you have to
have all your possessions on show, and hence always have a dusty house
because it is so difficult to clean? How do we help the proverbial pack
rat?

Here are 5 steps to help Pack Rats free themselves from clutter and stress:

Step 1 – Act like you are about to move house. Take
everything out of the room. (Do this one room at a time or the clutter
bug just won’t cope!)

Step 2 – Bring back the most important things for
the room. For example in a living room, the sofa, couch, chairs, TV,
stereo, side tables

Step 3 – Work out where all the important things sit
in the space. Move them so the space flows and that you can move freely
around the room. Then sit down and have a look around, breathe in, how
do you feel? You should feel liberated. You will find that your chest
feels lighter; the air seems to flow better,

Step 4 – Start layering. Select a few things at a
time to bring back into the room to decorate with. Paintings, pictures, a
vase, a rug, lamps. Do it slowly and feel how the space is changing.
Pick out the best items that you want to show, don’t use all of them. It
is important that the room expresses your personality, but we don’t
need your whole life story in one room!

Step 5 – Stop! Yes, don’t keep going. Less is better
in a room. Put all the remaining items in storage until you are happy
with the new space. Then after a few weeks, sort through it all, keep
what is reusable, and donate the rest to a good charity or sell it on
eBay!

You can do this; we can cure the pack rat in you and possibly create a
potential interior decorator out of you yet! Give it a go now!